Wave of Reform women: Fed up with being ignored on crime, gender, asylum hotels and family, so many are flocking to the party. Now they reveal why - and say others have let them down so badly

What do these six women have in common? They’re well-spoken – or ‘out-spoken’, as several of them put it. All are family-oriented. Most have held senior roles in business, the law or politics.

But one thing binds them more than anything: they’re part of a new – and perhaps surprising – wave of women aligning themselves with Reform UK. Leader Nigel Farage has admitted himself that he has a ‘woman problem’. Not without reason.

The party’s top brass has, until recently, been almost exclusively male. And in last year’s election, 17 per cent of men voted for Reform, against just 12 per cent of women. And yet, here they are:a small but growing cohort of women who say they’re fed up with being ignored by the traditional parties. Drawn, they say, to Reform’s stance on crime, border control, family values and the cost of living, theyrepresent what insiders are calling a ‘vibe shift’ in the party’s voter base.

While women, particularly younger women, still typically lean towards the Left, polling by More in Common shows that support for Reform is particularly strong among women aged 45 to 54 – so-called ‘Mums for Reform’.

The Daily Mail speaks to six women, from across the country, about why they have been won over by the party…

 Great-grandmother fed up with Tories

Linda, 74 

A great-grandmother, Linda turned to political activism in her 70s.

She had been a lifelong Tory, until David Cameron came to power. ‘I started to think: these aren’t very Conservative policies. I’d always worked hard, even ran a small clothing factory. But the Government just stopped speaking for people like me.’

Watching the then MEP Nigel Farage only deepened her conviction. ‘When he announced he was coming back into politics last year, I thought, “I’m not going to scream at the telly anymore. I’m going to do something”.’ So Linda signed up, joined local campaign groups and travelled to by-elections to knock on doors.

She was at Reform’s conference last September. ‘It was better than a rock concert. I went on my own and left buzzing. I’ve never met a more welcoming, positive bunch of people.’

Asked what her top concerns for the UK are, Linda, from Newport, Wales, says: ‘Immigration. Not from a xenophobic place. But the schools can’t cope, the hospitals can’t cope, the housing stock is stretched.’

 Farmer’s daughter fighting crime

 Laura Jones, 46

A single mother of two boys, formerly one of the youngest politicians ever elected to the Senedd and a former Tory of 31 years, Laura saw her political instincts forged on her family’s farm.

‘I’m proud to be Welsh, and I’m also very proud to be British,’ she says. ‘I’m a farmer’s daughter. My mother’s a nurse.’

Laura says that ‘government after government have refused to tackle the massive issues that are blighting farmers’.

But her concerns aren’t all rural. ‘You do worry about walking down the street on your own. There are some fantastic businesses in Newport city centre but, unfortunately, it’s blighted by crime.’

Laura is also keen to smash the image of Reform as being a party just for angry, white, working-class men: ‘Reform has a raft of policies that speak to women. They’re very sensible on trans ideology, which has been dangerous for women and girls. We need to protect women’s sport and their spaces. I can’t believe we’re having to discuss this.’

Nor does she have any truck with the idea that Reform isn’t ready to govern. ‘I believe it is. There’s so much going on behind the scenes… We’ve got a good manifesto now… The policies are being developed all the time, by those who actually know what they’re talking about.’

Ex-magistrate MP calling for burqa ban 

Sarah Pochin, 56 

A former magistrate, mother of two and now Reform’s first female MP, Sarah is refreshingly direct about what drew her to the party.

Until 2020, she was a Conservative councillor and says she was close to quitting politics before making the decision to join Reform last year.

She says the Tories ‘stopped defending’ the country. ‘They’ve failed on so many fronts: immigration, justice, values.’

Sarah is also adamant that Reform’s appeal to women is

misunderstood. ‘Reform stands for women’s issues – safety, education, family values. That’s why you’re seeing them coming over to us.’

A love of family underpins her politics. ‘As a magistrate, I saw young men with no role models, no structure, no safety. That’s why I believe so strongly in family, community and country.’

Sarah, who grew up in a Margaret Thatcher-supporting family with a father in the military, fears today’s youth are directionless.

She’s unflinching on multiculturalism, too. For her first Prime Minister’s question as an MP, Sarah asked Keir Starmer whether Britain should ban the burqa, causing uproar among the Left.

‘No matter what you think of my question, the fact is people are still talking about it,’ she says.

‘This country is all about equality. But there’s an insidious infiltration of our values going on. We are allowing cultures into our communities that tell women they can’t be equal to men.’ She points to areas like Bolton: ‘There are streets where you wouldn’t believe you’re in Great Britain. Women won’t talk to you – they’re afraid. It’s utter oppression.’

And Sarah has no doubt about Reform’s ambitions. ‘A lot is going on behind the scenes. But we won’t be taking half the Tory party with us. We want people with real experience, not Philosophy, Politics and Economics graduates who’ve only ever carried bags in Westminster.’

Former beauty queen battling Britain’s pothole crisis 

 Charlotte Hill, 25

A Reform UK councillor, Charlotte was crowned Miss Derbyshire in 2018 and was a finalist in last year’s Miss Universe Great Britain.

She joined Nigel Farage’s former party, Ukip, at the age of 14, around the time of the Brexit campaign.

‘In a mock general election at school, I voted Ukip and my teacher told me I was racist in front of my whole class. I realised then that people shouldn’t be able to police what I think,’ she says. Alongside her full-time job as an assistant project manager in the highways industry, Charlotte is cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport on Derbyshire County Council, overseeing one the most potholed areas in Britain.

Charlotte, whose father worked in heavy construction, studied construction management – ‘the only female on my course’ at Derby University – and bought her own house aged 19. She lives with her partner of ten years – who is also a Reform voter who helps her to hand out leaflets – and her English bull terrier.

‘I’m lucky enough to have my own house,’ she says. ‘But lots of other young people like me struggle to get on to the property ladder.’

That’s one thing Charlotte hopes Reform can change. ‘I think young people care most of all about having money in their pockets, rather than it going to the Government.’

She also supports Mr Farage’s plans to bring in tax breaks for married couples.

What do her friends think about her political career? ‘I’ve always been an old soul and I tend to spend time in my local pub with older people,’ she says. And what of abuse on social media? ‘I’m so confident in my convictions that it’s really just water off a duck’s back.’

Muslim lawyer saying migrants must integrate 

Laila Cunningham, 47 

A former criminal lawyer, mother of seven and daughter of Egyptian immigrants who describes herself as a ‘moderate Muslim’, Laila’s recent defection to Reform UK has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.

Laila, who serves on Westminster City Council, sensationally crossed the floor to the party last month and resigned as a Crown prosecutor only weeks ago.

‘I always say, being in the Conservatives felt like a marriage you’re too scared to leave,’ she laughs. ‘You know your husband’s cheating, he’s dreadful – but pulling the plug is hard.’

The final break came after secret meetings with Reform. ‘It was about being free to say what I actually think is wrong with this country.

‘I’ve been contacted by so many women online who have seen me speak. They’ve all told me, “I want to support Reform, but I’m scared of the backlash,” which is outrageous. But its women who immigration and the breakdown of law and order in this country affects… You’ve seen what’s happening in Epping.’

Living in London, Laila speaks openly about the dangers her teenage children face on the capital’s streets. Two of her sons have been mugged: one had a knife pulled on him and both have had phones and wallets stolen. ‘The reduction of stop and search has resulted in a real increase in knife crime,’ she says. ‘As a prosecutor, I know that knives are hidden everywhere. But if you complain, you really are labelled far-Right or extreme.’

Laila says that ‘zero-tolerance’ must be the solution. ‘We will do literally whatever it takes. You know how Trump declared a national emergency on day one – that’s what we’re going to do.’

As for those who suggest her stance on immigration is at odds with her upbringing, she is clear. ‘People say, “You’re pulling up the ladder” and I’ve been called a “Muslim c***” countless times.

‘But my parents came here in the Sixties. They came with the sole aim of being British and to assimilate. If England’s playing Egypt in a World Cup, my mum would support England.’

Laila is already being tipped by some to take on Sadiq Khan in the next London mayoral election.

She’s got one message for voters: ‘To all the mums out there who’ve given up hope: you’re not alone. We see you, we hear you, and Reform is coming to fight for you.’

Business owner standing up for the safety of young girls 

Sarah White, 40 

A single mother of three teenagers and local business owner from east London, Sarah never saw herself as a political activist – until she found herself with no one to vote for at last year’s general election.

‘There was nobody on the ballot who represented what I was feeling’, she says. So that night she signed up to become a member of Reform. After being invited to a local meeting for Epping Forest, she volunteered as branch treasurer, before putting herself forward as candidate for Chigwell.

Sarah has become a recognisable face in what has now grown into a national movement – thanks to her leading role at the protests in Epping outside The Bell Hotel.

They were sparked when an Ethiopian asylum seeker staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl just days after arriving in the UK.

‘At first, people said it was all lies. But then it started affecting us directly. Girls were being followed to school. You drive past and see men of a certain background walking behind them, whistling. It’s not hearsay – we see it,’ says Sarah. ‘It’s not about hating immigrants. If you come here legally, fine. But if you’re sneaking in from France and getting put in a hotel on benefits, how is that fair? Why not book a flight and go through the system like everyone else?’ She adds: ‘We’re not stopping until The Bell Hotel is shut – and not just moved somewhere else. That’s not a solution.’

She has also found herself a voice in the growing Mums for Reform movement. ‘For years, it’s been men leading the charge. But now it’s women – mothers – who have had enough. When women get involved, that’s when you know there’s a real problem.’

At Reform events, she says, the gender balance is changing fast. ‘I’ve been to the big national conferences. It’s easily 50/50 now.’

Sarah believes this is largely down to the threat that illegal migration poses to women’s rights and safety.

‘We fought so hard for equality in this country. And now we’re letting in people who don’t even believe women should have rights.

‘That terrifies me. I want my daughter, and future grandchildren, to grow up in a country where they’re safe and respected.’

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